Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-10-22

aeI AatneT Knew IL ana meant 10 stop II
from the beginning; but he was not q man
Q do things in q hurry, and 80 We went on
q FOOLS paradise, enjoying the stolen
kisses and talking Of the sweet time to
come when we should be married. One
night was RomeO-1 was so carried
away with passion that 1 acted for once
naturally and unconventionally. There
was q full house; the performance was so
much out Of the common that the people
were astonished and forgot to applaud.
juliet caught the infection Of my passion,
and for once we acted we'll, because; we
acted from the heart. Never but that
once, I believe, has Romeo and Juliet
been performed. by a pair who felt every
word they said. It WINS only in a long,
ow room, a sort of corn exchange or town
hall, in q little country town, but the
memory Of that night is sacred to me.
: You know the votdsr
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
=, that I were . glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
And these
o, for Q falcoper's voice,
TO lure this tassel gentle back again!
bondage Is hoarse and may not speak aloud,
Else would I tear the cave where echo lies,
And make her airy tongue more hoarss than
mine = - %
With repetition OF my Romeo!
Splendidly we gave them.
Why, even now, old as I am, the recol-
lection of these lines and the thought of
that night warm my heart still and fire
my feeble pulses. I have taught them to
my gr%andchild. She takes after my poor
Juliet. and would s@rceed on the stage, il
only her father would let her. Hut =, !.
straightlaced. Ali he should have seen
the temptations which beset q girl on the
stage in my time. We are Puritans now
almost
And q good thing. too. !. is time for
ME to own it.
Well-old Kerrans was in the front,
looking after the money, as usual, and
always with n eye on the stage, to see
how his daughter was getting on. He
was PUZZLED, l think, to make out the
meaning Of the unaccustomed fire, but he
came to the conclusion that if Juliet was
going to remain Miss Juliet, instead of
becoming Mrs. Mortimer Vavasseur my
stage nance, he had better interfere ut
once.
So after the play, and over the domes-
tic supper table, he had it out with his
daughter.
Juliet swore that nothing should in
duce her to marry another man.
'Bless the grill" said her father: II
don't want you to marry anybody at ALL"
Juliet declared that she never, never
would forget me.
Il don't want you to forget him." Mr..
Kerrans replied. "Remember him as
much as you like
Juliet announced her intention otretir-
ing from the stage and going into n con-
vent. There were NJ converts in Eng
land in 1928, SO that the threat was not
so serious as it would be now.
Her father promised her that when the
company passed by any respectable con-
vent on the road, he would certainly knock
at the door and inquire about the accom-
modauon and the terms.
"EQri' he said, caressing his weeping
daughter, ''do you think / want to be
cruel to you, my pretty? Not a bit. Let
young Lucraft go and prove himself a
man, and he shall have you. But, you
see, 1t wouldn't do to add to the expenses
Of the company just now, with business
so bad and all, would it, my dear? Why,
You might BIO confined in a twelvemonth,
and laid by for half the year ever after,
with a troop Of young children. Where
S0OulO we DC tnen!'
The next day was Saturday. AS usual
I went into the treasury to draw my
money, and found the old fellow with
rather red face, and a hesitation in his
manner.
He told me the whole story, just as 1
have told it to you. And then he gave
me my dismissal.
"Look here" he said, handing me the
money, ''you are q capital young fellow,
Lucraft, and q likely actor. There's merit
in you. But l can't have you spelling my
juliet for the stage. So I'm going to put
her up without you. After q bit I dare
say l shall find another Romeo. You get
away 70 London and md another engage
ment-there's o weeks pay In advance
get rich, or when anything happens to
make things different, why, you see, we
shall all be glad to see you back. Go and
make your farewells to Juliet. and don't
be more sentimental than you can help.
Goodby, my boy, and good luck to you"
Good luckl Had he known the kind of
luck which awaited me!
I sought my girl, and found her crying.
I remember that we forgot all the fine
verses Of Shakespeare, and just put our
faces close to each other and cried TO-
gether.
1t did seem hard upon both of us. We
were really and truly in love, and that in
a good, honest, determined way. To me
there was no other girl in the world except
Juliet. To her there was no other mar
besides Luke Lucraft. We had come to
an understanding for three months, and
had been quietly dropping deeper and
deeper in love during all that time. And
now we were to part.
"Don't forget me, dear Luke" she
so5bed. "There are lots Of prettier and
finer girls in the world than I am, who
will try to take away your love from me.
l wish I d0uld kill the creatures" she
added. stamping her foot.
Juliet always had q high and generous
spirit. like women to have q high spirit.
"And will you have no admirers, Ju.
lett" I replied. "Why, half the town.
| we were in Lancaster then-'half the
town Is at your feet already. inter.
copied two love letters yesterday, and ]
kicked the grocer's apprentice the day be.
fore for trying to get Mrs. Mould to give
you q billet doux from himself Come,
dear, W will trust nj another. I will
try and prove myself . man-get an en-.
gagement, make Q name on the London
stage, and come back with money and an
offer to act Romeo toyour Jaliet at Drury
Lane. Think Of that, my dearest, and
dry your eyes. Your father does not OBJ
ject to me, you know; he only wants me
to make an income. Come, Juliet, let us
say goodby. It is only for q short time,
and I shall come back with all sorts Of
reasons in my pocket Tor persuading your
fathers consent"
So We aertad viz. narv more prom